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Beow
Beowa, Beaw, Bēow , Beo or Bedwig is a figure in Anglo-Saxon traditional religion associated with barley and agriculture. The figure is attested in the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies as they were extended in the age of Alfred, where Beowa is inserted as the son of Scyld and the grandson of Sceafa, in lineages carried back to Adam. Connections have been proposed between the figure of Beowa and the hero Beowulf of the poem of the same name and English folk song figure John Barleycorn. Etymology ''Beoƿ'' is an Old English word for barley. In the Anglo-Saxon genealogies, Beoƿa is the son or grandson of Sceafa, the Old English word for sheaf. The noun ''beoƿ'' has an Old Norse parallel in ''Bygg'', the word for "grain." Related comparisons have been made between the figure of Beoƿ and Byggvir, attested in the ''Prose Edda'' as a servant of the god Freyr.Alexander (2002:28). Theories Some scholars posit a connection between the mythical figure of Beowa and the legendary Beowulf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translations of Beowulf, most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025 AD. Scholars call the anonymous author the "''Beowulf'' poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Beowulf (hero), Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes (Germanic tribe), Danes, whose mead hall Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel for twelve years. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother takes revenge and is in turn defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf def ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf (hero)
Beowulf (; ) is a legendary Geatish hero in the eponymous epic poem, one of the oldest surviving pieces of English literature. Etymology and origins of the character A number of origins have been proposed for the name ''Beowulf''. Beowulf Henry Sweet, a philologist and linguist specializing in Germanic languages, proposed that the name ''Bēowulf'' literally means in Old English "bee-wolf" or "bee-hunter" and that it is a kenning for "bear".Sweet, Henry. (1884) ''Anglo-Saxon Reader in Prose and Verse'' The Clarendon Press, p. 202. Recorded instances of similar names mirror this etymology. The 1031 AD ''Liber Vitae'' records the name ''Biuuuwulf''. The name is attested to a monk from Durham and means ''bee wolf'' in the Old Northumbrian dialect.Chadwick, Hector Munro (1983) ''The Origin of the English Nation'', p. 294. The 11th century English ''Domesday Book'' contains a recorded instance of the name ''Beulf''. The scholar suggested that the name ''Beowulf'' derived from a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies
A number of royal genealogies of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, collectively referred to as the Anglo-Saxon royal genealogies, have been preserved in a manuscript tradition based in the 8th to 10th centuries. The genealogies trace the succession of the early Anglo-Saxon kings, back to the semi-legendary kings of the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, notably named as Hengist and Horsa in Bede's ''Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum'', and further to legendary kings and heroes of the pre-migration period, usually including an eponymous ancestor of the respective lineage and converging on Woden. In their fully elaborated forms as preserved in the '' Anglo-Saxon Chronicles'' and the ''Textus Roffensis'', they continue the pedigrees back to the biblical patriarchs Noah and Adam. They also served as the basis for pedigrees that would be developed in 13th century Iceland for the Scandinavian royalty. Documentary tradition The Anglo-Saxons, uniquely among the early Germanic peoples, pre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglo-Saxon Paganism
Anglo-Saxon paganism, sometimes termed Anglo-Saxon heathenism, Anglo-Saxon pre-Christian religion, Anglo-Saxon traditional religion, or Anglo-Saxon polytheism refers to the religious beliefs and practices followed by the Anglo-Saxons between the 5th and 8th centuries AD, during the initial period of Anglo-Saxon England, Early Medieval England. A variant of Germanic paganism found across much of north-western Europe, it encompassed a heterogeneous variety of beliefs and cultic practices, with much regional variation. Developing from the earlier Iron Age religion of continental northern Europe, it was introduced to Britain following the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, Anglo-Saxon migration in the mid 5th century, and remained the dominant belief system in England until the Christianisation of Anglo-Saxon England, Christianisation of its kingdoms between the 7th and 8th centuries, with some aspects gradually blending into English folklore, folklore. The pejorative terms ''paganis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bödvar Bjarki
Bödvar Bjarki ( ), meaning 'Warlike Little-Bear', is the hero appearing in tales of Hrólfr Kraki in the '' Hrólfs saga kraka'', in the Latin epitome to the lost '' Skjöldunga saga'', and as ''Biarco'' in Saxo Grammaticus' . He is often depicted with the ability to shapeshift into a bear. Legend Bjarki's father, Björn (which means "bear"), was the son of Hring, a King in Norway. After Björn's mother died, Hring married a much younger Sámi woman called Hvit. Björn became a tall, strong young man, and he and a young woman named Bera were in love. At a time when Hring was away, Hvit tried to seduce Björn, but he rejected her. She cast a spell that made him a bear by day and a man only by night. He fled to the area near Bera's father's farm, where he lived by killing livestock, and he brought Bera to live with him. Urged by Hvit, the king took his hunters to kill the bear. Björn foresaw his death and told Bera that she was pregnant, telling her what to do after his death. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sceafa
Sceafa ( , also ''Scēaf'', ''Scēf'') was an ancient Lombardic king in English legend. According to his story, Sceafa appeared mysteriously as a child, coming out of the sea in an empty skiff. The name also appears in the corrupt forms ''Seskef'', ''Stefius'', ''Strephius'', and ''Stresaeus''. Though the name has historically been modernized Shava (and Latinized Scefius), J.R.R. Tolkien used the correctly constructed modern English spelling ''Sheave''. ''Widsith'' The Old English poem ''Widsith'', line 32, in a listing of famous kings and their countries, has ''Sceafa Longbeardum'', so naming Sceafa as ruler of the Lombards. In ''Origo Gentis Langobardorum'' the Lombards' origins are traced to an "island" in the north named Scadan or Scandan ("Scandinavia"). But neither this account or any other mentions Sceafa among their later kings or gives the names of any kings that ruled them in the land of their origin where they were said to have been known as the Winnili. In geneal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old English Language
Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th century, and the first Old English literature dates from the mid-7th century. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, English was replaced for several centuries by Anglo-Norman (a type of French) as the language of the upper classes. This is regarded as marking the end of the Old English era, since during the subsequent period the English language was heavily influenced by Anglo-Norman, developing into what is now known as Middle English in England and Early Scots in Scotland. Old English developed from a set of Anglo-Frisian or Ingvaeonic dialects originally spoken by Germanic tribes traditionally known as the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. As the Germanic settlers became dominant in England, their language re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barley
Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikelets and making it much easier to harvest. Its use then spread throughout Eurasia by 2000 BC. Barley prefers relatively low temperatures and well-drained soil to grow. It is relatively tolerant of drought and soil salinity, but is less winter-hardy than wheat or rye. In 2023, barley was fourth among grains in quantity produced, 146 million tonnes, behind maize, rice, and wheat. Globally, 70% of barley production is used as animal feed, while 30% is used as a source of fermentable material for beer, or further distilled into whisky, and as a component of various foods. It is used in soups and stews and in barley bread of various cultures. Barley grains are commonly made into malt using a traditional and ancient method of preparatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Barleycorn
"John Barleycorn" is an England, English and Scotland, Scottish folk song. The song's protagonist is John Barleycorn, a personification of barley and of the beer made from it. In the song, he suffers indignities, attacks, and death that correspond to the various stages of barley cultivation, such as Reaper#Hand reaping, reaping and malting. The song may have its origins in ancient English folklore, English or Scottish folklore, with written evidence of the song dating it at least as far back as the Elizabethan era. It is listed as List of folk songs by Roud number, number 164 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The oldest versions are Scottish and include the Scots language, Scots poem "Quhy Sowld Nocht Allane Honorit Be". In 1782, the Scottish poet Robert Burns published his own version of the song, which influenced subsequent versions. The song survived into the twentieth century in the oral folk tradition, primarily in England, and many popular folk revival artists have recorded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byggvir
Byggvir is a figure in Norse mythology. The only surviving mention of Byggvir appears in the prose beginning of '' Lokasenna'', and stanzas 55 through 56 of the same poem, where he is referred to as one of Freyr's servants and as the husband of Beyla. ''Bygg'' is the Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ... word for barley. Subsequently, Byggvir is often identified with this etymology of his name and connections have been placed with the mentioning of Byggvir's described involvement with mill-grinding as being potential references to barley processing.Lindow (2001:90-91) Comparisons to the Anglo-Saxon figure of Beowa ( Old English "barley") have been put forth.Bruce (2002:28). ''Lokasenna'' In ''Lokasenna'', Loki is depicted as degrading Byggvir for being ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bjarkarímur
''Bjarkarímur'' is a 15th-century Icelandic ''rímur'' cycle on the Skjöldungs (the Scyldings of ''Beowulf''), and retells among other things the adventures of Hróarr (Hroðgar) and his brother Helgi (Halga), and those of Böðvarr Bjarki. It appears to be based on the lost ''Skjöldunga saga'' and is one of the extant sources of information on that work. References * Jónas Kristjánsson, Eddas and Sagas: ''Iceland's Medieval Literature'', trans. by Peter Foote Peter Godfrey Foote (26 May 1924 – 29 September 2009) was a scholar of Old Norse literature and Scandinavian studies. He inaugurated the Department of Scandinavian Studies at University College London, and headed it for 20 years. Early life a ... (Reykjavík: Hið Íslenska bókmenntafélag: 1988), p. 353. Old Norse poetry Rímur {{poem-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Witherle Lawrence
William Witherle Lawrence (1876 − July 25, 1958) was an American philologist who served as Professor of English at Columbia University from 1905 to 1936. Biography William Witherle Lawrence was born in Bangor, Maine in 1876. His father, Franklin M. Lawrence, was the founder of the Portland Stove Foundry. Lawrence graduated from Bowdoin College in 1898. He received additional degrees from the Leipzig University and Harvard University. Lawrence taught German at Harvard University from 1900 to 1903. In 1903 he was appointed Professor of English at the University of Kansas. Since 1905 he served as Professor of English at Columbia University, where he would stay until his retirement in 1936. During World War I, Lawrence was an instructor in the Student Army Training Corps. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Bowdoin in 1917. He was an overseer of Bowdoin from 1921 to 1923, when he became a trustee. He was also a trustee of the Portland Public Library, the Portla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
